SARS Tax Refund: How Much Will You Get Back, and Why

You get a SARS refund when more tax came off your salary during the year than you owe. SARS pays back the difference, usually within 72 hours of assessing your return, as long as your bank details are right.

There's no "average" refund. It depends on your income, your age and what you pay into a retirement fund or medical aid. Most non-provisional taxpayers had to file by 23 October 2026 under Filing Season 2026. Here's how to work out what you're owed.

Quick facts: SARS tax refunds for the 2025/2026 tax year

Figures for the 2025/2026 tax year (1 March 2025 – 28 February 2026), checked against SARS's rates of tax for individuals and medical tax credit rates in September 2026.

Why do some people get a refund and others don't?

Your employer deducts PAYE every month based on an estimate of what you'll owe for the full tax year. That estimate is often slightly wrong, because it doesn't always know about things that reduce your real tax bill: a retirement annuity you pay for yourself, a medical scheme you belong to outside your employer's group scheme, or a change in income partway through the year.

When you file (or when SARS auto-assesses you using information from your employer, bank, medical scheme and retirement fund), SARS works out the tax you owe for the year. If your PAYE was more than that, you get a refund. If it was less, usually because you earned untaxed income on the side, you owe SARS instead. A SASSA grant you receive, or collect for a child or older relative, isn't taxable at all, so it never comes into it. See our guide to SASSA grant amounts for the current figures. If you've already used our step-by-step guide to SARS eFiling to submit your return, the figure on your notice of assessment (ITA34) is the one that counts, not any calculator estimate.

How SARS works out the number

The calculation, in order:

1. Tax on your taxable income, using the year's tax brackets.
2. Minus your rebate (a fixed rand amount, not a percentage): R17,235 for the 2025/2026 tax year if you're under 65, according to SARS's rates for individuals.
3. Minus your medical scheme tax credit, if you belong to a medical scheme: R364 a month for you as the main member, another R364 for your first dependant, and R246 for each dependant after that, for the 2025/2026 tax year (confirmed on SARS's medical tax credit rates page).
4. Compare that final number to the PAYE already deducted from your payslips (shown on your IRP5). The difference either side is your refund or your debt.

The 2025/2026 tax brackets (the year Filing Season 2026 assesses)

Source: SARS, rates of tax for individuals, checked September 2026.

Those are last year's brackets, the ones Filing Season 2026 assesses. If you want to check your PAYE for the current 2026/27 tax year instead, run your salary through our South Africa income tax calculator, which uses this year's updated brackets and primary rebate.

Worked example: how a refund adds up

Say you're Thandiwe, an operations manager in Durban earning R25,000 a month, or R300,000 for the 2025/2026 tax year. Your employer's payroll doesn't know about two things you pay for yourself, outside any work scheme: R1,500 a month into a retirement annuity, and a hospital plan for yourself only (no dependants).

Because payroll didn't factor those in, your IRP5 shows PAYE deducted as if you had neither:

• Tax on R300,000: R42,678 + 26% of (R300,000 − R237,100) = R42,678 + R16,354 = R59,032
• Minus primary rebate R17,235 = R41,797 PAYE paid for the year

When you file and claim both, your actual liability looks different:

• Taxable income after the R18,000-a-year retirement annuity: R300,000 − R18,000 = R282,000 (well under the 27.5%-of-income/R350,000 cap SARS allows for retirement contributions, per its Section 11F guidance)
• Tax on R282,000: R42,678 + 26% of (R282,000 − R237,100) = R42,678 + R11,674 = R54,352
• Minus primary rebate R17,235 = R37,117
• Minus medical scheme fees tax credit, one member, R364 × 12 = R4,368 → R32,749 actual tax owed

Refund: R41,797 − R32,749 = R9,048.

That gap, between what payroll assumed and what your return claims, is where most refunds come from. (Thandiwe is a hypothetical example to show the maths; the rates and rules behind it are real and sourced above.)

When will the money land?

If you're owed R100 or more, SARS pays it within 72 hours of finalising your assessment, as long as your bank details are correct, you have no outstanding returns or debt, and SARS hasn't flagged your return for checks or an audit, according to SARS's explanation of how auto-assessment works. A refund under R100 isn't paid out on its own. It's carried over to next year's assessment.

You can check where your refund stands without waiting for an SMS:

• eFiling or the SARS MobiApp: tap "Refund Status" on the app's home screen.
• WhatsApp: message "Hi" to 0800 11 7277 and select "Refund Status."
• USSD: dial 1347277#, choose option 3, and enter your ID or passport number.

(Source: SARS, how to check your tax refund status.)

What can push your refund higher

• Retirement annuity or provident fund payments SARS doesn't know about. You can deduct whichever is lower: 27.5% of your pay or taxable income, or R350,000 a year (2025/2026 tax year), for payments into a pension, provident or retirement annuity fund, under SARS's Section 11F rule. If you pay into one yourself rather than through work, it only counts when you file.
• Medical scheme payments outside your work scheme. The credit is a fixed amount per member, not linked to what you paid, and it's easy to miss if your membership isn't registered with your employer. It also means the credit is the same on a basic hospital plan or a full medical aid. See our comparison of medical aid, hospital plan and gap cover costs if you're choosing between them.
• Interest under the tax-free limit. Interest earned in South Africa is tax-free up to R23,800 a year if you're under 65, or R34,500 if you're 65 or older, according to SARS's interest and dividends page. Money in a savings account or fixed deposit under that limit doesn't add to your tax bill at all.

Why you might owe SARS instead

It works the other way too if you earned money your employer's payroll never taxed: rent, interest above the tax-free limit, or freelance and side-hustle income paid straight into your account. If you earn from platforms or gigs alongside a job (see our guide on starting freelance work without experience in Africa), that income still goes on your SARS return, and if no tax was taken off during the year, you'll probably owe rather than get a refund. The same applies if you took a two-pot savings withdrawal from your retirement fund during the year. The tax your fund deducted was only an estimate, and it's settled, for better or worse, when your return is assessed. A debt of R100 or more is due by the date SARS gives you, and interest is added to unpaid tax whatever the amount.

What to do with the refund once it lands

If you don't need the money straight away, put it somewhere it can grow rather than leaving it in a current account. Our compound interest calculator shows what a lump sum like R9,000 could grow to over a few years in a fixed deposit or unit trust. A tax-free savings account is one of the best places for it, because the growth is never taxed. See our guide to the best TFSA in South Africa for how much you can put in this year and where to open one.

Refund scams to watch for

Refund season brings out scammers every year. A real SARS message will never ask you to click a link to "claim" a refund, and SARS will never ask for your PIN, password, OTP or bank details by email, SMS, social media or phone, according to its own scams and phishing guidance. If you get a message like that, don't click anything. Check your status yourself on eFiling, the MobiApp, or the WhatsApp/USSD numbers above, and report the message to phishing@sars.gov.za or the Fraud and Anti-Corruption Hotline on 0800 00 2870.

For more South Africa-specific breakdowns like this one, browse our South Africa hub or the wider personal finance section.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a SARS refund take to pay out?

If your refund is R100 or more and nothing's outstanding on your account, SARS pays it within 72 hours of your assessment being completed. Incorrect banking details, unfiled returns, outstanding debt, or a verification/audit flag will delay it.

What's the smallest refund SARS will pay me?

R100. Anything below that isn't paid out on its own. It's carried over to your next tax year's assessment.

Why did I get a much smaller refund than a friend with a similar salary?

Refunds depend on what each of you contributes to retirement funds and medical schemes outside payroll, your age (which changes your rebate and tax threshold), and whether either of you earned untaxed extra income during the year.

Can I still get a refund if I was auto-assessed and didn't file anything?

Yes. If SARS's auto-assessment shows you paid more tax than you owe, the refund is paid in the same way, usually within 72 hours, without you filing. You only need to file if the auto-assessment is missing something or wrong. See our guide on who has to submit a SARS tax return if you're not sure whether that's you.

What if SARS says I owe money instead of a refund?

It means the PAYE taken off during the year was less than your actual tax bill, usually because of extra income that wasn't taxed when you earned it. Amounts of R100 or more are due by the date on your assessment, and interest keeps building on anything unpaid. If you haven't filed at all yet, see what happens if you miss SARS's 23 October deadline. The penalty for a late return is separate from any tax or interest you owe.

Is that SMS saying I have a SARS refund waiting real?

Treat it as a scam until you've checked. SARS never sends links to claim a refund, or asks for bank details or OTPs by SMS or email. Check your real status on eFiling, the MobiApp, WhatsApp or USSD instead of tapping anything in the message.